Cliques and school environment
From WikEd
Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
A clique is defined as a small, exclusive set or snobbish group of people. A clique commonly is composed of a group of individuals who share common interests such as sports, clubs, or organizations. These are most commonly found among teenagers and pre-teens and generally catagorize students into a group, or clique. Friendship is a term that is commonly misused when talking about cliques. At face value they appear to be one in the same. In taking a deeper look into the true meaning of a clique it takes a very negative turn. Whereas friendship is a normal, healthy relationship that nurtures the individual; a clique can abuse the idea of friendship, creating a robot with no individual thought other than that of the group. In friendships, normal groups form from to preps, to jocks, to brains, to goths, to the punks. Within these groups individuals will have one or two special friends that they enjoy their company the most. Friends over time come and go within these groups and the group accepts newcomers. Within a clique, entrance and exit within the group is very restricted, not just anyone can be part of the group.
Cliques focus on a strict code of conduct that must be followed by all members. It does not focus on the democratic views and ideas of all members, it focuses on maintaining dominance and popularity of the group over other groups. Members are not free to socialize with others in different groups, everything is done as a unit.
Application in classrooms and similar settings
""The playground is like Survivor," says one ten year old girl. "If you're not in a tribe, you get eliminated really fast.""
Cliques are found in every middle and high school throughout the world for generations. The difference now is the cliques are forming at younger and younger ages. According to Catherine Foy M.S.W., associate director of graduate studies at Northwestern University, cliques begin to emerge about third grade and are in full force in fourth and fifth grade. Some studies have indicated that it may be even earlier due to day care and pre-kindergarten programs. Students not part of the "in" crowd feel isolated and lonely and often are the targets of attacks both physically and verbally. Most cliques generally have a leader who decides who gains enterance to a group and who does not. During classtime, teachers need to separate these leaders from their groups and re-direct his or her leadership skills in more positive direction. Identifying the outsiders is also very important. Look for qualities in which those students excel and encourage the skill. Also, finding a kind student to "look out" for the individual can greatly help the lonely student. It is extremely important that the needs of the outsiders and fringe cliques are met.
When this social hierarchy is formed, the groups at the bottom become targets for abuse. In order to help alliviate the abuse and conteract the negativity it may require varying levels of support through teachers, parents, counselors, and psycologic counseling depending on the severity. If these individuals are not given the coping skills needed, instances such as the shootings at Columbine High School can occur.
Many outcasts instead of hiding in the shadows have begun to make bold statements accentuating that they are different. They where bold make-up with heavy eyeliner, chains, and even males dressing in female clothing. They stress that they want to be different, yet many times it is simply a cry for help, a defense mechanism.
Children of all ages are psycologically fragile and the mistreatment by their peers leaves scars that may never fully heal. These feelings of not belonging, isolation, and constant harassment "can drive a person to insanity" stated two high schoolers at Pheonix's Mountain Pointe High School.
Teacher's need to attack early and often when witnessing any form of exclusion among students. Class discussions on why it is wrong and instead making all students understand that no one likes to be left out.
Cliques are perpetuated online. Students self select forms of electronic communication, can choose to include or exclude students from their "friend" lists, or can send harassing messages to people that are not part of their clique. This gives teachers and less opportunity to encourage students how to communicate with others that are not in their social circle.
Evidence of effectiveness
It is unrealistic to think that there is any real way to entirely eliminate cliques. But the negative impact they create can be minimized. Teaching young people the importance of respect for themselves and others can make a lasting impression that may be one of the most important and powerful things they learn.
Critics and their rationale
Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
Cliques become even more prevalent in situations dealing with race. The minority group or groups in a school will tend to band together, especially in hallways and cafeterias. Whether these groups form because the individuals feel more at ease within their own racial circles because of self confidence issues or if they feel it is a way of "protection" is unclear. What is clear is that these racially driven cliques can tend to lead to the same types of socially inappropriate, dangerous bullying and internally oppressive situations that other peer group cliques do.
Signed “life experiences”, testimonies and stories
I have taught preschool and believe that there are cliques among children at this early age. It is so important for the teacher to take a proactive role on the part of the children who are being left out and to talk about the strengths that each of the children have. This can contribute to a shift in how peers begin to see the children that are not included. Yet I do believe that cliques can have a positive influence for children.
Camille Unzicker
Cliques, while having been a buzz word for years in describing the nature of adolescents in schools, is quickly fading, I think. In my experience, lines that have been drawn to designate groups in schools are quickly fading and blurring. Students are crossing boundaries and are members of many different groups and cliques. As a band director, I try to use the word in a positive light, and tell my students to think of themselves as a positive clique, a group of friends that seeks to do good in the school. --David Roth
Cliques in my eyes are slowly changing from once a powerful presence in schools, to now something that is fading. I am only five years removed from my senior year of high school. I went to high school with over three thousand students, so there was a lot of "cliques." I felt as though as I got older in school these cliques seemed to fade, not just because we were getting older and more mature but just the whole idea of the clique was fading. I really dont think these cliques are healthy for a school, but it would is going to be a long time before cliques are gone at schools, if ever. J. Simmons
I think that as humans we have a natural tendency to make groups by similarities, which can be based on interests, personality, or phenotypical traits. In my experiences these groups are only identifiable when they are exclusive to others who do not fit into the mold or image mandated by the clique. I never fit into any clique that I ever had the pleasure of spending time with, but I do think that I was assigned to a clique toward the end of my time in high school. I didn't mind being in the conservative, smart girl (nerd), unpopular clique, yet I always wanted to be accepted by the mainstream population, until one day in high school when I decided to go against the grain and break the mold. I decided that I would not be defined by the mainstreams influence and that I would enjoy being myself, which meant participating in a prayer club on Fridays and spending a lot of time in the library studying. I was only able to overcome the pressure to fit somewhere because I had support from my parents, caring teachers, and members of my church. ~C. Hatchet
I believe there is definitely a potential for problems in the school environment due to cliques. Our neighborhood school consisted of one classroom each of kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. That meant a child could be with basically the same group of classmates for six years. One of my daughters found this to be a problem. During third grade, some of the girls in the class formed a clique and began teasing and bullying those who were not. When I expressed my concerns, I was told there really wasn't anything that could be done about it. My daughter became more and more distraught and unable to concentrate on her school work. I enlisted the help of the school counselor. She basically said the same thing and told me to encourage friendships outside of school. Not a bad suggestion, but it certainly didn't address the mandatory school hours she had to face. Girls this age can be incredibly cruel. When my daughter was to enter fourth grade, I met with the teacher before the school year began. I didn't really have much hope but still felt the effort had to be made. This teacher surprised me. He stated that he had taken a class that spoke to this issue and that he would address the problem. To this day I am not sure what actually happened in his classroom, but I saw an immediate change in my daughter. The teasing and bullying stopped and she again became a happy, productive student. I am so glad to see the bullying education available today and a heightened awareness in schools of the damage it can cause. - Pam Olivito
References and other links of interest
Adler, Jerry, John Mcormick, et al. Newsweek. "The Truth about High School," Academic Seach Premiere. May 1999, Vol. 133 Issue 19.
Barnes, Peter. Teaching PreK-8. "The Cool vs the Uncool," Academic Search Premiere. Aug/Sept 2005, Vol. 36, Issue 1.
"Cliques, Power and Pain." Woman's and Childrens Center. http://www.mgh.org/wcc/teensite/adults/articles/cliques.html
Cohen, Adam. Time. "A Curse Of Cliques," Academic Search Premiere. Vol. 153, Issue 17.
Johnson, Beth. Good Housekeeping "The Trouble with Cliques," Academic Search Premiere. August 2001, Vol. 233, Issue 2.
Reviewed by D'Arcy Lyness. "Coping with Cliques," TeensHealth. http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=KidsHealth&lic=1&ps=207&cat_id=20126&art...
